Political Horse Pucky Cookies

Asked to contribute cookies for a candidates' night at the American Legion Hall on the upper Washougal River, I concocted a batch using two ingredients I've been experimenting with lately, coconut flour and coconut sugar; (the latter is a good substitute for brown sugar). The dough is rather stiff and I rolled it into two-inch balls, thinking they would spread some while baking. They didn't, and the result looked like what we as kids used to call horse apples. The candidates' night was an endurance test of political pandering, patriotic posturing, appalling punditry and rigid folding chairs, bookended by flag ceremonies performed by two Eagle Scouts put through their paces by their Boy Scout leader, who barked orders at the boys and interjected his own comments into the proceedings. After two hours punctuated by sporadic bell ringing to signal 'time' for the more long-winded among the office seekers, relieved constituents who had endured those folding chairs without a break fell on the refreshments like locusts. Most of the offered goodies were from the Washougal Safeway bakery, so the rather homely appearance of my horse pucky cookies and a small sign revealing their healthier ingredients did not deter those who descended upon the refreshment table. Two waxed paper levels of cookies rapidly disappeared, leaving a few balls on a paper plate that I was able to take home in Mom's cake carrier. A couple of people asked for the recipe. I hadn't written it down, as I had improvised the batch, so here goes: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened slightly; 1 cup coconut sugar + 1/3 cup erythritol + 1 tsp. stevia powder (you could substitute 1 cup brown sugar, or just 1-1/2 cups coconut sugar, as it is slightly less sweet). Cream together and beat in: 2 eggs, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. good vanilla extract. Add: 3/4 cup coconut flour, 1 cup unbleached flour (you could use gluten-free flour), 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup old-fashioned oats (" " " gluten-free oats), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 3/4 cup buttermilk. Stir together, adding: 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 2/3 cup dried cranberries. This combination of ingredients results in a stiff dough, so add more buttermilk if the dough still has dry patches, as the coconut flour and oatmeal absorb liquid. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with canola. Roll the dough into 2" balls and distribute evenly over the pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 12 minutes per batch; remove and cool. If stacking them up, use waxed or parchment paper between the layers. Coconut flour can be deceptive. When first removed from the oven the texture may seem dry, but they soften a little in an hour or two, making baked goods that keep their moisture a couple of days. These can also be frozen.